Moonlight Production

Production Questionnaire

Basic Information

A big part of our creative process is to immersing ourselves in the client’s marketing materials. One of the first questions I ask- “Please give me all the marketing collateral that you have.” Sometimes we get a comprehensive branding document and this can be immensely helpful. Color palettes, logo placement guidelines, design motifs are accepted practices. Butmostly, when we create a video, build a site or otherwise design something creative for a client, the response to this question is either a line card with some bullet points or a quickly brainstormed email sent over the next day. Not everyone has a large enough marketing budget to create all the collateral they need…

The act of presenting oneself to others through media (or in person) requires, by definition, an understanding of who you are. For most organizations this is constantly changing as they grow, shift focus and continuously redefine themselves. If you have the budget to do a comprehensive brand study, create a brief, target and control your messages then we can work with you to leverage that effort. But for the small, growing business we can rely on a more pragmatic approach.

This Needs Analysis list is one of the first things I send to smaller business clients to get them talking internally about what their goals actually are, what they want to accomplish, and ultimately… who they are. On many occasions this discussion has sparked some great branding discussions and has really helped them to define themselves more as they invested in a video or web site.

Take a look and see what ideas you have.

Your Business Overview

  1. Business Name
  1. Address
  1. Phone Number
  1. Production Manager’s Name
  1. Are you currently or have you worked with an Production company or advertising agencyin the past?
  1. If yes, who with?
  1. What are your production objectives for this year?
  1. Does your business have a production plan established?
  1. What type of production has worked best for your business in the past?
  1. Who is your primary target market
  1. Is your target market based on consumers, businesses or a mix of both?
  1. Is your target market local, regional, national or internationally based?
  1. What is your annual budget for production?
  1. What new production ideas have you considered and in essence what would you like to achieve?

The Business

  1. Describe in detail the product or service your business offers.
  1. How long have you been in business?
  1. How many Locations do you have? Are you opening any new locations soon?
  1. What are your main business strengths?
  1. Describe your typical customer.
  1. Who are you trying to reach?
  1. What time of the year do you see most of your business

Competition

  1. Who/What is your main competition?
  1. What sets your business apart from yourcompetition?
  1. What do your successful competitors do differently from your business?

Previous Advertising

  1. What kind of advertising has your business done in the past?
  1. What medium of advertising has proved to be most successful?
  1. Describe a good Call-To-Action your business has used in the past.

Television Advertising

  1. If you havenot yet advertised on television, what has been the reservation? What are your expectations/goals for television advertising?
  1. Describe the attitude/personality of your company and the one that you are trying to show?
  1. When would you like to start a production with us?

PRODUCTION NEEDS ANALYSIS

  1. Who is your target audience? (be careful they aren’t too broad… we can accommodate multiple purposes, but it must be thought out in advance and may cost more $$$)
  1. What is your message? (what information do you want included… do you have ideas on how you want it presented?)
  1. What specific action do you want people to take after watching the video? (it is important to be very specific… sometimes this betrays unrealistic multiple expectations)
  1. How will you distribute the video to your target audience? (more detail on this in the next set of questions)
  1. What venue/context will it be shown in? (trade show, company meeting, conference, television, home, office, web site)
  1. How will you measure the success of your video once it’s in the hands of your target audience? Again, be specific… and maintain reality)
  1. What budget constraints do you have? (we may be able to save money if we know in advance – ie stock footage may work sufficiently instead of shooting customized footage.)
  1. What is the deadline? (rush jobs usually cost more… GOOD – CHEAP – FAST … pick any two.)

OTHER HELPFUL QUESTIONS

  1. Do you have sample videos you can show us that look similar to what you want?
  1. Do you have a script or summary of the video already?
  1. Do you need us to develop the message and script or just help rework what you have?
  1. If you have a script, we need to do a script review and comment on feasibility. (Frequently clients have soaring expectations about a video w/o understanding the costs- ascript analysis allows us to verify that expectations are in line with the budget.)

DISTRIBUTION NEEDS ANALYSIS

  1. Explain your ideas on how you will show the videoto your target audience.
  1. Will you personally hand your video to a member of your target audience?
  1. Do you want them to be able to watch the videoon the Internet?
  1. Will you ever need to show your video in a sales presentation or in a meeting?
  2. Will your videoneed to be handed out at trade shows or sent via direct mail?
  1. Do you want the ability to put your video in a PowerPoint presentation?

SUMMARY OF A BASIC BUSINESS/DEPARTMENT VIDEO

Most videos will contain a mixture of these elements:

  • Opening logo animation with music and optional effects.
  • Professional Voice Over talent.
  • Interview clips with your executives or employees
  • Interview clips with your customers
  • Video footage and/or pictures taken in your offices, plants or warehouses
  • Video footage of your employees serving customers or working together on projects.
  • Video footage of your customers putting your product/service to use
  • Graphic animations and special effects

When these elements are combined with a persuasive script and creative editing techniques, the end result is a videothat will meet and often exceed your goals for the project.

Questions from our Producer

  1. What do you like and dislike about other videos?
  2. What do you want to achieve with this video?
  3. Who is the target audience?
  4. What do you want the audience to do after watching the video?
  5. How will the tape be shown?
  6. How many shoot locations are there?
  7. Will we be shooting during business hours?
  8. If we are shooting during business hours, are there any logistical concerns?
  9. How long does the video need to be?
  10. Will a company executive need to be on camera?
  11. Do you need a professional on-camera talent or voice-over?
  12. Who will write the script?
  13. Will you need extra graphics or animations in the video?
  14. Are there other materials needed in the video, such as photographs?

Your Voice

  1. Describe what your thoughts are regarding what you would like to accomplish in your next marketing and advertising campaign?